~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

(A Mimikyu is seated high in a fire escape, looking down in an alleyway to watch a short blue-haired male with a microphone beep-bop against a tall, electric-guitar-sounding man with a bomb as his head, with a shorter woman in a red dress holding a boombox between them.)

Yeah, they're all probably gonna blow up... Good music though.

...

(Glances behind him.)

Oh! Um... Hi everyone. It's good to see you all again. It's been a long time. So like the previous chapter, I wrote this one because it's been far too long since I posted a chapter of this. I mainly worked on small bits of this whenever I couldn't find myself writing anything in my other fanfic, and by the time that chapter was done, this one was also done, so I decided to post them both at the same time.

So yeah, with this chapter, I've got a chapter of To Be A Hero posted too. Oh at least, it should be posted by now.

But anyway... What even happened last time? God, it's been a while... I think I remember our boy almost dying, then being scooped up by the water-type beauty? Oh yeah, then there were a few awkward moments here and there before...

Ah, that's right. He was taking responsibility. What a good boy.

...

Oh wait, Gloria was there, wasn't she?

Welp, whatever happens, happens.

(An ear-piercing scream shakes the area as half of the alleyway on the bomb man's side seem to shatter reality.)

Ah, looks like things are picking up. Time to watch the show.

(Leans against the fire escape bars and stares.)

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):

Exia Zero: Good to know I almost killed you.

Guest: Define 'like that.' You think he didn't have a sex ed? Or thought he'd never assume dirty things? I mean, either way, he woke up naked and beside Nessa while barely able to remember exactly what had happened, so yeah, I'd say his reaction was warranted.

5AT05H1L1NK: I am planning to bring both Mega Evolution and Z-crystals into this, mostly because I feel like it'd be wrong if they don't show up in an international pokemon league. As for if Victor will react to them? I wonder...

Wolfy365: Of course I missed you wolfy. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! I'm looking forward to another review from you once more!

ninfamespinal: *Shrugs* A LOT happened. Don't worry, no one's gonna die. I think.

Anon Omega: Nah, hold off on that call. I doubt she's going anywhere yet.


It turns out that what broke in the cave was Gloria.

Victor's claim of 'taking responsibility' resulted in the girl completely shutting down. Her eyes were completely lifeless as her body fell over, with Ace barely able to catch her before she could hit the ground.

Nessa's whole face burned with red as her eyes and mouth hung wide open, the young woman trembling at Victor's tempting offer.

Marnie's whole head started steaming as an image of what she assumed Victor and Nessa 'did' briefly flashed her mind, to which she immediately buried her face in her Morpeko and muffled a flustered squeak.

Twilight sweatdropped with a sigh, Midori was flailing his arms in worry at the fallen Scottish girl, and Ace irked at Gloria's weight as he gently laid her down on the ground. All the wild pokemon stayed close together with mixed reactions to what was happening in front of them.

And Morpeko merely deadpanned.

As for Victor, he completely panicked when Gloria fell over, frantic eyes watching her but not daring to move out of the only blanket covering him up.

"Gloria!? You didn't just die, did you!?"

"Ain't got nothin' tae live for..."

"Wait, that's really scary! Don't say that!"

Nessa clutched her head and looked down as her eyes turned into spirals and her mouth converged into a squiggly line.

"He thinks we did it! What kind of kid immediately assumes that!? Did he lose even more common sense when he hit his head!? Did he mix up fantasy with his memories!? Wait, but if that's the case, then would he have actually wanted to-!?"

"HOLD IT! Hold everything!"

Everyone's attention (besides Gloria's) went to the entrance of the cave, where Hop ran inside with frantic breaths and a bruise on his face from where Gloria had struck him.

He ran past the wild pokemon and went between all his friends, taking as much air as he could before pointing directly at Hulbury's gym leader.

"Nessa!"

The woman flinched and instinctively sat up straight.

"Y-Yes!?" She stammered, picturing herself behind bars.

"Did you, or did you not, have sex with Victor!?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Nessa's answer was instantaneous.

"NO! NONONONONONO! NOT AT ALL!" She yelled with closed eyes.

There was the smallest shift of Gloria's head.

"W-We didn't do anything! Nothing at all! I swear!" The model insisted in a loud yet embarrassed voice.

"B-B-B-But-!" Marnie's voice kicked in, the girl finally lowering her Morpeko to reveal her crimson face. "Wh-Why did Victor say he was goin' tae take responsibility!? A-A-An'-!"

She closed her eyes as her voice cracked.

"-why ain't he got any clothes on!?"

Victor confusingly blinked before once more, trying to think back on the previous night.

"I... But... didn't we-?"

He suddenly winced, his right hand shooting up to his forehead.

"Ugh..."

At this moment, Gloria suddenly regained the life in her eyes, although both grew wide and full of concern as she finally processed the bandages wrapped around Victor's head.

"YA HURT!?"

Everyone flinched at the intensity of her screech. And in the next moment, Gloria flew past Hop so fast he sent the boy spinning, then crouching right in front of Victor with his head in her hands as she examined the bandages.

"What the bloody hell happened tae ya!?"

She suddenly pulled down the blanket Victor had been using to cover his body, ignoring the boy's yelp as she proceeded to examine his chest and arms for any other injuries.

"Are ya hurt anywhere else!?"

Marnie and Nessa turned their faces away in crimson red while Hop caught his balance before making a straight-faced expression.

"G-Gloria!?" Even Victor's cheeks flushed as Gloria felt him for any more noticeable wounds. He didn't react, merely frozen as he felt the girl's hands all over him, at least, until she put her hands on his blanket again, which was only covering his lap.

"NOPE!" He suddenly pulled the blanket up and tightly wrapped it around his body, clutching it for dear life. "Nuh-uh! That's no good!"

"Eh?" Gloria paused in confusion at Victor's reaction, hands frozen in front of her.

"For shame, Gloria. I didn't think you'd use this chance to take advantage of Victor like that..." Hop shook his head in mock disappointment.

Gloria blinked as Hop's words sunk into her.

Her eyes blankly stared at Victor, the boy's expression nervous, which had her recall just how she had been checking him a moment ago.

"I-I-I-!"

Her face turned so red that she resembled a Tamato Berry. She then closed her eyes as her now clenched hands covered her face.

"IT AIN'T LIKE THAT!"

"Are all lassies outside Spikemuth that bold!?" Marnie gulped, peeking back at them with her tufts of hair perking up curiously.

Hop sighed. As much as he enjoyed Gloria freaking out, he knew that things needed to be fixed, so he brought up his hands and walked to the center of everyone.

"Okay, look, I think there's a bunch of misunderstandings here, so let's just listen to what actually happened and clear this up. Victor, do you remember what happened to you last night? Why are you naked and have those bandages around your head?"

Victor put on a thinking face, but only a second went by before he groaned with his hand rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, my head aches when I try to remember... I think I got a concussion, but I don't recall how. I just get brief flashes when I try to think about it... And also, I'm not naked. I still got underwear on me." He made sure to point out.

"Okay then..." Hop then turned to Nessa, who looked a mixture of both embarrassed and scared, as if she was at their mercy.

"Nessa? Could you clear this up then? Don't worry about Gloria hurting you. Victor will get mad at her if she does." Hop nonchalantly said with a wave.

Gloria flinched and glanced at Victor, who was staring at her with his eyes squinting suspiciously, to which she turned away with an angry pout.

This reassurance somewhat calmed the gym leader down, who released a breath of relief before she remembered why they were in this situation in the first place. Her temple pulsed in annoyance as she crawled out of Victor's tent and stood up, still in Victor's clothes, before gesturing at the injured boy.

"You wanna know what happened!? This GENIUS went outside in the middle of a thunderstorm and nearly got himself killed!"

"WHAT!?" Gloria's shout had several pokemon cover their ears.

On the other hand, Victor merely seemed perplexed at this information, repeatedly blinking before putting a hand on his chin in a contemplative look.

His eyes then widened in recollection.

"Ooooooooooh... I do kinda remember something like that. But I don't think it was that bad-"

"Not that bad!?" Nessa was baffled at his audacity. "Lightning was striking everywhere, my ears practically exploded from all the thunder, and you were on a tree in the middle of a god damn muddy river before it got struck and sent you flying into the water! How did you even get on it in the first place!?"

"Er-"

"Why would you do that!?" Gloria cut in with alarm all over her face.

She crouched in front of Victor and used her hands to gesture at the cave exit to the right.

"You RAN out in the middle of a thunderstorm and could've died!" She then pointed her index fingers at both sides of her head. "THINK Victor!"

Marnie's flush was replaced with a pale white, her body shaking at the thought of being outside in such a dangerous thunderstorm. Natural lighting wasn't the same as the electricity a pokemon could produce. It was much more deadly to humans, and the thought of Victor getting struck by it made her feel numb.

"Wh-Why'd ya even g-go out there!?" She asked, wondering what the hell was going through his mind at the time.

"U-Um-!" Victor wanted to speak, but his head was still organizing last's night's events.

"Kirl!"

Everyone's attention turned to Midori, the small Kirlia standing by the large group of wild pokemon still in the cave with them.

Midori used his arms to gesture to the nervous pokemon beside him with a small pout, delivering his intended message to the humans.

"Oh right, I forgot about them!" Hop turned back to Victor with a proud grin. "Did you go out to help them?"

Victor took a moment to think as everyone's attention was on him again.

Then he snapped his fingers with another look of realization.

"Oh yeah! Last night, I heard some of those little guys come in to take refuge from the rain, but one of the Noibats was gonna go back out because some of his friends were still out there! That's why I went left!"

He then looked down in a pensive state.

"Let's see... it was really wet and loud, but it didn't really bother me. And then I found the Noibat's friends on a tree and tele- jumped on it before lightning hit the center of it... I managed to throw the pokemon to the side before I... Wait, I actually don't remember what happened after. I think I woke up and saw Nessa's face? And I felt cold?" He mumbled the last parts.

"I'll tell you what happened!" Nessa stomped her foot on the ground. "You got hit on the back of the head and would've drowned if I hadn't pulled you out the river! You were lucky I saw you right before you fell in! I was barely able to save your ass and drag you back here before you got hypothermia!"

Victor stared dumbfoundingly as he registered everything she told him.

"So... does that mean you're the one that took off my clothes?"

Nessa flinched with a baffled look taking her face. But that was only for a moment before an embarrassed yet angry flush went to her cheeks. She grabbed at her hair and released a frustrated 'Argh!,' similar to when she had lost to Victor at her gym.

"That's what you got out of everything I said!?"

"You undressed him?"

Nessa's anger turned to horror as her blood turned cold and spread all through her body. The model robotically turned her head to see Gloria standing a foot away from her, a sharp look in her eyes as she glared upward at the young adult.

She had to explain, now.

"I-I had to, alright!? I couldn't leave him in wet clothes!"

Gloria brought a hand onto Nessa's shoulder, the woman flinching at the threatening squeeze that followed.

"Did ya see it?" She whispered in a dangerous tone.

Somehow, Nessa knew exactly what she was referring to, and her blush seeped through the rest of her face.

"I-I didn't!" She squeaked loud enough for her to hear.

Gloria's other hand had her index and middle fingers point at her own eyes before at Nessa's in an 'I'm watching you gesture,' then releasing the model from her grip.

"B-But..."

Marnie's timid voice piped up.

"How come the two o' ye slept in the same tent?"

They all turned to Nessa, who flinched but instinctively answered.

"I-I didn't plan that! I-I had meant to fully dress Victor back up, b-but then he just kinda..."

She sheepishly pressed her two index fingers together and looked down.

"L-Latched on to me..."

Gloria's eye twitched.

"And I-I couldn't get him off me no matter how hard I tried! So... I just ended up taking him with me... to the tent..." Nessa finished, voice falling from the embarrassment of remembering Victor's warm embrace.

"Don't punch her, don't punch her, don't punch her..." Gloria's hands were balled into fists as she breathed hard through her nose, using every ounce of self-restraint not to use her own version of Sucker Punch right then and there.

"E-Er..." Victor had his eyes planted to the ground with red cheeks to hear all this.

"Th-Thank you, Nessa..."

The model looked at him as he continued.

"I-I know I must've put you through a lot. And..."

He bowed his head to her, the blanket still wrapped around him.

"I'm sorry I assumed some... 'weird' things."

"Yeah, I can't believe you woke up and your first sentence was, 'I'll take responsibility.' I mean, don't get me wrong, I respect it, but man, what a first reaction." Hop chuckled.

"Shut up, Hop."

"Yes, ma'am."

Nessa stared down at Victor as he apologized and couldn't find it in her to be mad at him for all the trouble from last night.

She could only sigh and look away, rubbing her arm shyly.

"It's alright, Victor. Just... Don't scare me like that again. I... I really thought that you... If I was a moment late then..."

They all saw the pain on the model's face, even if she tried not to show it.

That filled Victor with five times more guilt than before, resulting in the boy bowing with his head touching the ground.

"I'M REALLY SORRY!"

"I-I already said it's alright! Just don't be stupid next time!" Nessa abruptly shouted back, taken aback by his shout.

"Noi!"

All of a sudden, the Noibat that had ventured out with Victor the previous night, along with the Noibat and Impidimp that had been helpless on the tree, all stepped forward with relieved expressions.

"Oh! You guys all came back alright!" Victor turned to them with a smile, trying not to cringe at the headache he was getting.

Seeing the human's attention on them now, both Noibats and the Impidimp all slightly bowed.

"Noi!/Noi!/Imp!" They thanked him in unison, grateful to the human and feeling indebted to him.

The humans' eyes widened as not only those three but every other wild pokemon in the cave bowed to the one that had accepted them in the middle of the night with a smile, saving them all from a dangerous environment.

Nessa stared in awe at the pokemon that had their eyes closed in relaxed stances, the sight before her somehow mesmerizing. It was as if these pokemon were bowing to a lord, ready to serve at any moment.

She then turned to Victor, the boy brightly smiling with soft eyes.

"You're welcome."

For a split second, Nessa saw the boy in a stadium, standing across a silhouette of the currently considered most powerful trainer in the world.

She ended up smiling, understanding that this is meant to be so much more in the future.

But those thoughts were interrupted as Victor turned to his friends with a sheepish smile.

"Sooooo, can I get changed now?"

The three ladies blushed while Hop snorted.


~{Motostoke-Battle Cafe}~

He hatedit.

"You're late."

Oleana coldly typed away on her laptop, not bothering to look up as Bede took the seat across from her, slightly out of breath.

"I'm sorry, I came as soon as I could. I had just started going into the Wild Area-"

"Making excuses, Bede?"

Despite Oleana's neutral tone, Bede tensed up. His hand instinctively reached for the oversized golden watch on his right wrist, gripping it to help calm himself.

"N-No... Next time, I'll make sure I'm here on time." He stated as calmly as he could.

Oleana merely continued to type away, not sparing him a glance.

He hated it.

"Good. Now to the subject at hand. You've been collecting Wishing Stars for the chairman, correct?"

Bede sat up straight as his determined eyes locked on the woman.

"Yes! I've managed to acquire a suitable amount of them from both Galar Mines!"

Oleana stopped typing.

"Only a suitable amount?"

Bede suddenly froze, confusion and even a hint of worry reflecting off his eyes.

"E-Excuse me?"

Oleana finally moved her eyes from her computer, only to look up at Bede with a chilling stare.

He hated it.

"The chairman doesn't need 'suitable' numbers, Bede. He needs beyond that. You understand that Galar's future is at stake, don't you?"

Bede found himself looking down, not wishing to see those emotionless eyes piercing at him. They were always judging him. As if trying to decide if he was worthy of remaining by Rose's side or if he should be sent away.

If he should be thrown away.

Just like how his parents-

...

Bede shook his head to forcefully cut off the thought, then took a deep breath before looking back up at that heartless gaze.

He hated it.

"I-I completely understand! But I'm confident that I searched every inch of the mines and obtained every Wishing Star there!"

"That's not enough."

Oleana placed her shoulders on the table and entwined her fingers in front of her. Bede felt so small against that intense stare of hers, and he found himself biting his lip with his grip tightening around his watch.

"Do you know why the chairman IS the chairman, Bede? It's because he always finds a solution, it's because he's always successful, it's because he does everything necessary for Galar's future. Something small such as being unable to find Wishing Stars wouldn't be a problem for him. He'd merely search elsewhere. He'd find a solution to it, no matter what." Oleana's voice was practically tearing through him.

"The chairman has shown you immense generosity by giving you a role that many could only hope to ever have the honor of having. You're supposed to be special; he graciously called you special, Bede."

Her eyes narrowed, and Bede saw their surroundings dark around him.

"You wouldn't want to prove him wrong, right?"

The shadows were nearing, mocking him as they reached for him with chilling animosity. His breathing increased in pace. He could feel a cold hand gripping his heart tightly.

" You wouldn't wish to... disappoint, the chairman, would you, Bede?"

He's choking. He can't breathe. His eyes kept shaking, and sweat was pouring down his head. He can feel himself drowning, suffocating in the darkness that's gripping him. He can only force whatever air he had left in his body to merely speak.

"N-No-! I-"

He's dying. He can't do this. He-

"Good."

And just like that, the choking stopped, and light returned to the room, with Oleana's attention back to her screen as she typed away with a neutral expression once more.

Bede hunched over with a gasp, his hand over his rapidly beating heart as he slowly breathed in and out.

Whether she noticed or not, Oleana made no comment on Bede's panic attack. Instead, she merely continued on as if nothing had ever happened.

"The chairman has taken an interest in another child, you know?"

Bede felt his breathing hitch by his own accord.

"One of the two endorsed by the champion... Victor."

His eyes dilated.

"He's proven himself to be quite remarkable. Having called in two rather large groups of Rainbow Rocket grunts that he managed to take down with his small team of pokemon."

Something bubbled up in Bede, something different. His teeth tightly pressed together, the hand over his heart and the hand at his side tightly clenched into fists.

"Not to mention, he has supposedly yet to lose a single match from the champion's account. Even trainers Hop and Gloria have been reported to have lost against either him or each other." In a rare case, Oleana appeared to be... pondering about a person besides the chairman.

It burned Bede like acid.

Oleana had even stopped typing as a nail tapped her keyboard. "Hm... With his abilities, I wonder if he'd be able to-?"

"I'LL DO IT!"

Bede shot up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, a desperate yet infuriated glare directed at Oleana.

"I told you that I won't disappoint the chairman! I'll be the one to find the Wishing Stars! I'll be the one to put the other challengers in their places! I'll be the one to save the region!"

His right hand turned into a fist that he used to bang the table.

"Not some damn country boy that used his association with the champion's little brother to get endorsed!"

He didn't realize that he had hadn't breathed throughout that entire rant, his hard breathing now reaching his ears.

Yet Oleana's expression didn't change.

"Glad you understand. Now that that's settled, I have to get back to the chairman."

Bede blinked in confusion, frozen in the position he held. That was it? That was all she had to say to his declaration? And now she was just gonna leave?

Yet, he knew that it would be pointless to speak again and could only watch as the secretary closed her laptop and placed it in its own pouch, carrying both it and her handbag over her shoulder. She then walked past the table, only stopping by him for one last remark.

"I hope you won't be a disappointment, Bede. Not just for the sake of the chairman, but for the sake of all Galar."

All Bede heard next was the clacking of heels and the opening and closing of a door.

Bede collapsed on his chair, head falling into his hands as he struggled to breathe right.

God, that woman...

No, forget her. Focus on the task at hand right now.

He had to get stronger to beat that simpleton, yet he also had to find more Wishing Stars than ever before.

And in the Wild Area, he could do both.

Bede snarled as Victor's stupid face flashed in his mind from when the two had battled before, the idiot merely smiling without any care in the world.

He stood up and shoved his chair in aggressively before marching out of the cafe. He knew where he had to go, and he had to keep his mind busy so that he wouldn't see Oleana's robotic and heartless stare baring into his soul.

He hated it.


~{Bridge Field-11:03AM}~

Nessa felt... conflicted.

The model had changed into her now dry gym leader attire, ready to go home and take a well-deserved shower. Their previous shelter had been packed up, so now everyone was outside admiring the aftermath of the thunderstorm.

Normally, one of Nessa's favorite things about rain was after it stopped, as everything would just seem to sparkle while the atmosphere would smell so wonderful. But in this case, the aftermath of this thunderstorm showed destruction. Broken trees, large puddles, and mud littered the Wild Area, but it didn't seem to bother any of the teens currently cooking two different pots of food.

Nessa herself was seated on a rock a few yards away from them, knowing that she couldn't really help with so little cooking experience. All of their pokemon were out and about, some resting while others interacted with one another.

Being seated and left to herself allowed Nessa to think about the conflict she had, one that she knew would keep messing with her head until she addressed it.

Last night's revelation.

When she had first met Victor, she had NO idea that she'd ever end up feeling like... this about him.

She had only met him like what, two days ago? And yet, here she was, having an internal conflict with herself over the guy. She never viewed herself as some kind of maiden that'd get lovestruck so easily. She had always been cautious about relationships matters, seeing as she's a famous model with lots of fans.

But it's not like that meant she's never had a crush before or that she's never had a lover either (although she never went that far with them).

Victor just felt... different.

Was it cause of his young age?

Wait, god, no. That'd be messed up beyond belief if that was the reason she felt so drawn to him. That was basically illegal.

Wait.

Nessa's eyes widened as a realization came to mind.

Victor is fifteen, isn't he? She remembered seeing this on his league card when they took pictures together.

To think, if that's the case, that makes Victor an adult in the eyes of the law.

The same would be true for Hop, Gloria, and anyone else who reaches that age. And this is all due to the modern international laws implemented all across the world.

You see, when a person reaches the age of fifteen, then the government/region wouldn't see that individual as a minor any longer. That person would be considered a full-fledged adult.

And it was no secret why such laws were ever passed.

If there is one thing the modern world cherishes, it's trainers. For a region, their trainers' strength determines just how successful the region itself becomes. It's why Galar is considered the most powerful region in the world. It has the proclaimed champion of the globe that has yet to lose on screen. Its gym leaders have higher win rates than counterparts in other regions, and their region's trainers overall have tended to give the best performances than others across the globe.

Stronger trainers bring more exciting battles, exciting battles brings popularity, and popularity brings both tourists and new residents. From there, regions develop and expand in influence, whether expanding their cities or strengthening their trainers.

Wait, where was she going with this?

Oh, right.

Regions profit from having the best trainers. So, by establishing these laws granting independence at an early age, new potential trainers are able (and encouraged) to travel and train in order to have their pokemon gain strength and take on the gym challenge of their respected regions. And older authoritative relatives or guardians of those trainers wouldn't be able to keep these new young adults back. It was all in the name of creating the world's strongest trainers.

So yeah, Victor was technically an adult in terms of the law. Nessa realizes this now. But...

She doubted that anyone had relationships in mind when this law came to fruition.

People just see individuals that young as, well... kids. She's never even seen or known any couples with that kind of age gap, and it made her feel messed up for having these kinds of thoughts.

Yet... She couldn't change them.

Nessa sighed and hugged her legs as she stared at Victor, who was smiling happily as he helped cook breakfast with Gloria. He had insisted on helping so that he could make up for last night's recklessness, despite the Scottish girl wanting him to rest instead. That was why Hop was also helping Victor, just by his side to help if his head throbbed in pain.

Nessa just kept watching the boy as he cooked, unable to calm the flames in her heart that made the fires under the pots seem like matchsticks in comparison.

"I can't believe myself..."

Victor just... did so much for her in the time she barely knew him. Even Sonia hadn't been able to yank her from her depression after losing so many battles in a row. Although... she supposed it was because her bestie had been too busy to offer more help besides a few words of encouragement. But Victor had been there. Victor was the one who was able to understand, adapt, and help her, all without wanting anything back for it. Not to mention he was good at cooking, selfless to a fault, and a powerful trainer overall.

And whenever she thought about just forgetting the burning feeling through her, it just seemed to intensify as if she didn't want to forget it.

...

Well, whatever... It's not like it mattered anyway...

Nessa could tell pretty well that Victor probably isn't looking for any kind of romantic relationship. She doubts that the thought had ever come to his mind when his goals and character were practically plastered all over him. He wants to be the champion, like everyone else, but he has a deeper reason to become it, to have the power to help any and every pokemon. A relationship is probably the last thing he's ever had on his mind... if he's ever had the thought at all.

"And also..."

Nessa's attention finally changed directions to the Scottish girl cooking. Gloria was happily sparkling as she mixed the cauldron of curry, seeming overjoyed to have Victor right beside her, and yet occasionally asking if he really felt alright.

She didn't think about this before, but Gloria really seemed to be... clingy. Not in the sense that she literally tries to touch Victor any chance she gets, but rather, she just tries to keep herself close by whenever she can.

While... chasing off other girls.

It seemed pretty obvious how much the lassie... cared for Victor, and Nessa wondered if the male himself had ever noticed or if he misunderstood Gloria's actions as something else. Perhaps he viewed her more as an overprotective family member? Or is he just that dense? Victor seemed so aware of her own problems when she had shut down her gym; not being able to notice that exposed affection would be odd...

Well, whatever it was. Those two clearly knew each other much longer than her.

Nessa couldn't help but feel frustrated by that.

She ended up pouting and turned away to ignore the cold feeling that suddenly arrived, trying to distract herself elsewhere, only for someone to call out to her.

"Um... Are ya okay?"

Nessa turned to see sweet little Marnie standing next to her, her Morpeko just a few feet away and apparently chatting with both Midori and Twilight while occasionally glancing at Victor.

"What kind of question is that? Why wouldn't I be okay?" The model tried to play off with a smile.

"Well..." Spikemuth's goddess nervously rubbed her hands together. "You just looked like ya were thinkin' hard..."

Shoot, she must've noticed her sulking.

"I'm alright! Just... Yeah, I guess I was just thinking..." Nessa chuckled while scratching the back of her head.

"Um... 'bout what?" Marnie asked, tilting her head in a curious but cutesy manner.

'Oh, how I ended up liking a boy several years younger than me in just two days after meeting him!'

Nessa hung her head and sweatdropped.

"As if I could say that..."

"Just some... adult stuff..." She chose instead.

Marnie gave her a sympathetic look.

"Well, if ya lookin' like that, then bein' an adult sounds rough..."

"Yu-p..." Nessa sighed, popping the P.

There was then some clanging, and everyone turned to see Victor hitting two metal utensils together to get their attention.

"Alright, everyone, time to eat!"

There was no hesitation from all the pokemon, including the wild ones that Victor had helped. They all rushed forward at the delicious smell and got served plates by the three Postwick trainers, all of them scarfing down their meals without hesitation.

"MOR!" Morpeko had sparks of electricity zap around her as she turned into her Hangry form, scarfing downmore food than the others.

"M-Morpeko! You're supposed to share with the rest of the lot!" Marnie cried out, rushing over to stop her in a panic.

"Oh, don't worry, Marnie! I know Morpeko eats a lot more than other pokemon due to how fast they digest their food and convert the calories into electricity, so I made some extra food with higher calories for her! There should still be enough for everyone!" Victor reassured with a smile.

Morpeko stopped eating for a moment, and she turned back into her yellow Full Belly mode, glancing over at Victor with a goofy smile.

She liked him.

He understood her needs.

She then changed back into her Hangry form and continued attacking her plate.

Marnie seemed surprised when she witnessed how fondly Morpeko smiled over at Victor, her own eyes adorably sparkling in awe to see this.

"Morpeko hardly likes other people! Victor, you're amazin'!"

But Nessa merely sweatdropped at Morpeko's antics.

"Tamed with food... Of course."

And yet, she smirked as she stood up, intending to get her own plate.

A part of her still denied she even had her feelings as a way to deal with them, but Nessa knew it wouldn't really help her. She knew that even having these feelings was a problem, and she also knew that her only course of action from here on out was to either forget them over time or push them down. She couldn't act on them.

She couldn't act on them, and she was fine with it.

...

Really, she was.


Breakfast came and went pretty fast. All the pokemon had good shares of food, and the mood was as bright as the sun was after the previous thunderstorm.

But now, with all the food gone, it was time for everyone to say their goodbyes.

"Are all you sure you're good to go?" Victor crouched down to address the small Noibat he had left with last night.

"Noi!" The Noibat nodded before flapping his wings, rising off the ground to show he was fine.

Victor smiled in return as he stood back up and glanced over at the rest of the wild pokemon.

"Are the rest of you?"

He got the same kind of cheers from the group, prompting a grin to form.

"Well... Then I guess this is goodbye then."

The Noibat flapping in front of Victor suddenly went forward and wrapped his little wings as much as he could around the boy's neck, trying to hug him while his head nuzzled against him with affection. The other Noibat and the Impidimp that he had saved last night also joined, hugging the trainer's legs.

Victor let out a heartfelt chuckle as his arms reached up and held the Noibat to keep him from slipping, additionally patting him on the back of his head.

"You guys stay safe, alright? I'll probably see you all again one of these days."

The Noibats let go and flapped their wings while the Impidimp gave Victor a 'see you later' gesture with his hand. The other pokemon gave him cries of goodbye before finally going on their way, apparently traveling together in the same direction. They flew or ran through the damp grass, the area glimmering like diamonds.

Victor waved as they left, watching them go along the horizon before glancing behind him as his friends finished packing up their remaining supplies. It had been quick to do so with all their pokemon helping, including Nessa's pokemon, who took small glances at him at opportune moments.

"Guess they're still kinda worried about me after last night..." He thought, his hand instinctively reaching up to the bandages around his head. "I could probably just fix the rest of this using Recover or another healing move. Best do so when we've gone our separate ways."

"Yer noggin didn't start hurtin' again, did it?"

Victor turned to see Gloria now standing beside him with a look of worry, her question earning the attention of Nessa and a few of the pokemon just standing around.

He realized his hand was on his head and shook it off with a forced chuckle.

"Don't worry, it doesn't really hurt that much anymore!" He tried to reassure her.

It didn't seem to work, as Gloria merely continued to stare at him like she'd cry any moment, making him get more nervous by the second.

"Er... Gloria, I-"

He was cut off as Gloria suddenly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a rather firm hug.

"Don't do that..."

"H-Huh?" Victor tried to ignore the crushing feeling around him and just looked down at the top of the girl's Scottish bonnet.

"Ya went out into a storm without even telling anybody... Y-You don't just do that... Ya can't just..."

Gloria's grip seemed to get tighter as she leaned her head on his chest.

"How am I supposed tae know you'll be fine by yersel' when ye did somethin' like that? I know ya wanna help pokemon, but...Ya coulda died..."

Okay, so running into a thunderstorm in the middle of the night hadn't been a good idea, but it wasn't like Victor hadn't known that. There was just something more important than the risk for himself at the time! Lives! Pokemon lives! But... there was no way he could try to justify himself right now; Gloria wouldn't want to hear it. She was just relieved he had ended up being saved and just wanted to hear that he wouldn't be in that kind of life-threatening danger again.

So all he could really do was just pamper her right now.

If she could stop hugging him and his arms so tightly, that is.

Opting for a different affectionate action, Victor rested his chin on top of Gloria's bonnet and gently whispered to her;

"I could've, but I didn't. I'm sorry about going out without telling any of you, but it was the middle of the night, and I didn't want to wake you guys up-"

Gloria pressed her forehead harder on Victor's chest. "Ye have tofookin' wake me up whin yer aff hoorin' tae dae somethin' dangerous!"

"Her dialect is slipping..."

Victor smiled, keeping his chin on Gloria's bonnet.

"Yeah... I should've woken you up. I'm sorry that I didn't. But I honestly didn't think it'd be that bad. I thought I was just gonna bring some pokemon back to the cave. I didn't think I'd see them clutching on for dear life. And you know that when I see someone in trouble, I can't just leave them. You and Hop both know that because you're both the same."

The tightness of Gloria's hug slightly loosened and allowed Victor to pull an arm out and gently pat the top of her head.

"You wouldn't have just left those pokemon in trouble, right?"

He could feel Gloria's facial muscles shift to form a pout.

"Well, no... But I woulda' been smarter aboot it! Ye don't just-!"

"Run out by myself into a thunderstorm, I know." Victor chuckled. "I just... thought I'd be fine."

Because his 'abilities' was left unsaid.

"But now I know that I shouldn't run into a thunderstorm with just one pokemon!"

Gloria pulled back and glanced up at Victor with a baffled look, her hands moving on his shoulders.

"Ye shoulda known that in th' first place!" She snapped while shaking him.

"Perhaps..."

Gloria continued to scold Victor while the boy just smiled, occasionally patting her head and getting whining from her for not taking this seriously. At least the mood had lightened up, for the most part, and it wasn't like she was stopping him from patting her.

"Cor."

Their moment together was soon interrupted by Twilight, who was flapping beside Victor after getting his attention.

"Hm? What's up?

Twilight just motioned his head behind him, which prompted Victor and Gloria to look and see that everyone else had finished packing and were now staring... at... them...

Nessa looked somewhat annoyed, Marnie was lightly blushing but staring intently at them, and Hop looked rather smug for someone in dropkicking distance.

As for the pokemon, most of them were doing their own thing, but some were also staring, including Nessa's pokemon. Her Golispod, in particular, seemed to have been paying very close attention to both Victor and Nessa after last night and has apparently realized something. He seemed to nudge his trainer in encouragement, which prompted Nessa to lightly blush and swat his arm away with a small growl.

While Victor examined everyone's varying reactions, Gloria's face slowly seeped with red before an outburst came.

"Oi! What urr ye blokes keekin at!?"

"Well, you guys, since we finished packing everything up!" Hop beamed.

Gloria seemed to be on the verge of running over and uppercutting him before Victor pointed something out.

"Does that mean you're gonna leave now, Nessa?"

The model's eyes widened in realization.

That's right. She has to leave, doesn't she?

"Oh..."

Wait, why did she sound so disappointed!? She should be glad to be going back after the hell that had been the previous night! Now she can go back to her gym and kick ass while balancing her modeling job! Just like Victor told her she could!

Just like how Victor knew she would!

...

Fuck.

Nessa put a hand over her flushing face.

Just thinking of him was making her chest burn up.

"Push them down."

She took a deep breath, moving her hand away with a smile.

"Yup. Don't want to have the chairman on me for having my own gym closed again!"

"Again?" Hop and Marnie both tilted their heads curiously.

"So you're gonna call a Flying Taxi then?" Victor approached, looking up at her due to his shorter height.

"Yeah..." Nessa looked down at him, not really knowing what else to say.

Victor gave her a sad smile.

"Not gonna lie... I kinda don't want you to leave."

Nessa's heart throbbed. What was that supposed to mean!?

"E-Er, I mean... Can't help that, can I?" Nessa looked away from him nervously. "D-Duty calls..."

Gloria narrowed her eyes in her direction.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking of last night, Nessa?" Hop teasingly grinned a few feet away.

Nessa flinched and glanced over at him. "Shut it, Hop, before I come over there and kick your ass so hard that you'll end up in the Unova region!"

Hop flinched and backed down, surprised by the outburst.

"I'm pretty sure only Gloria has that kind of Slaking-like strength..." He muttered.

"What was that?" Gloria glared.

"N-Nothing!"

"Oh, the irony..." Victor couldn't help but awkwardly chuckle at Hop's remark, then turn back up at Nessa, who made eye contact back with him, only to turn away with another blush.

"Um... Again, I'm really sorry about what happened. I wouldn't normally run into a thunderstorm, but when someone's in danger and time is limited, you tend not to think things through." He said in a low voice, feeling embarrassed too from recalling the model tending to him.

Nessa avoided his eyes as she turned to him, scratching the back of her head.

"I... I'm not really that mad about that anymore..."

"You're not?" Victor asked, surprised.

Nessa shook her head. "I get that you couldn't just leave those little guys in danger. But you can't be that reckless! It was just you and your Kirlia in a violent thunderstorm! It doesn't even feel like that was the first time you've done something like that! And that worries me!" She ended up with her hands up as her voice rose, now directly looking down at him.

Victor sweatdropped.

"She's still mad... But she kinda has a point. I guess heading into the forest every night alone ended up giving me bad habits..."

"You should've taken more than just one pokemon with you! Actually, you should've just woken me up since I have the water pokemon!" Nessa huffed, crossing her arms with a glare. "I... I get that you couldn't stay when you knew they were in danger... I did the same thing by going after you. But you can't just leave like that!"

Victor looked down and scratched his cheek.

"I'm... really sorry."

Nessa let her arms drop at the sincerity of Victor's voice, reminding her of just how selfless he is. She found her heart turning cold at the thought of him suddenly gone in that river, his body following the current and missing for probably weeks before it was ever found.

It overwhelmed her, and Nessa found herself pulling Victor into a tight embrace, placing his head right under her chin.

"God, you're gonna make me worry if you'll be alright by yourself..."

The reactions varied.

Gloria's eyes flashed white before a dangerous golden aura erupted from her, Hop had been looking impressed at Victor before said aura sent him flying, and Marnie's eyes stared in both fascination and curiosity as if she was trying to analyze just how the hug felt.

Victor himself was somewhat surprised by Nessa's sudden embrace, but it was only a moment before he smiled and returned the hug, closing his eyes as he let her hold him tight.

"I'll be fine. I promise." He gently whispered.

Nessa hugged him tighter.

"You better be, or I swear to god I'll have Pelipper Hurricane you all the way to the Crowned Tundra..."

Victor awkwardly chuckled, not wishing to ever test if she would, even if he's always wanted to go there.

"I'll be alright, really. I have to be alive to go on another date with you, remember?" He gently whispered, luckily away from Gloria's ears.

Every moment they spent together rushed through Nessa's mind, her heart growing warm, as she finally pulled back from her hug, a loving smile on her face.

"Yeah, you do, you dork."

She almost wanted to offer to travel with him. But she knew she couldn't, not when she had her responsibilities. Not when she had already decided she shouldn't pursue him any further.

It was fun, but... it had to end.

"Welp..." She patted Victor's shoulder before backing up from him, her hands moving behind her. "Time for you to get a move on! It's gonna be a long journey from here to Hammerlocke. Good luck to all of you!" She said, now addressing all of the young trainers.

"It'll be awesome!" Hop, coming back from being launched, exclaimed with his arms up. "I'm gonna build the strongest team ever!"

"Thank ya very much!" Marnie spoke up, looking determined to do her best.

As for Gloria, she suddenly appeared beside Victor and possessively hugged his arm, glaring angrily at Nessa.

The model wondered if she was getting used to those looks by now as she merely giggled at the Scottish girl.

"Good luck to you too especially, Gloria. And I'm not just talking about the Gym Challenge~." She winked, gaining back a bit of her teasing nature.

It seemed that the girl immediately knew what she was referring to, as her face turned beet red and her mouth opened in shock.

"Th-That's-!" She stammered.

Victor blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to say something but-

"L-Let's go!" Gloria abruptly pulled him away.

"Huh!? But shouldn't we at least wait for Nessa's Flying Taxi to arrive!?" Victor spoke up as he got dragged.

"I haven't even put the call yet, so... you guys should just go on ahead. This is where we split." Nessa waved, flashing them all a big smile.

"Th-Thank ya for spendin' time with us, Nessa!" Marnie bowed while hugging Morpeko.

"I'll see you in the big leagues!" Hop bounced backward with his arms up proudly.

Victor, still getting pulled back by Gloria, gave Nessa one last but bright smile as his free limb waved at her.

"I'll make sure to text and send pictures!"

Nessa giggled at his excitement and waved back as these growing young adults returned most of their pokemon into their pokeballs

And then she just watched as they ran ahead enthusiastically, with Victor repeatedly turning back and waving at her even after Gloria let him go so they wouldn't fall behind Hop speeding ahead.

She kept her eyes on them as they made the trainers towards the end of the Bridge Field and into the Stony Wilderness, their journey not even halfway done.

Nessa didn't know when her eyes finally lost sight of the group nor how long she dozed off just staring ahead, but it wasn't until her Golispod put its arm on her shoulder that she snapped out of it.

"Gol..."

"H-Huh?" She turned to see the Hard-Scale pokemon giving her a sympathetic but knowing look. One matched by the rest of her team. It was easy just how much a trainer and their pokemon could understand each other with merely a glance, their bonds practically allowing them to read each other from just one look.

So Nessa knew just what her pokemon were saying to her, to which she released a melancholy sigh.

"I'm alright. It's not like I didn't know it had to be like this. He's got a whole journey ahead of him, and besides..." She gazed at the horizon, her longing expression unchanged. "He already has someone more fitting for him..."

Her Golisopod just gave her what she assumed to be a sympathetic pat, to which she merely smiled.

"I'm fine. If anything, I'm actually kinda excited for the next time I see him. After all..."

Her smile turned into a grin as she placed her hands on her hips, staring out at the horizon.

"He's meant for big things."


"Ye sure you're alright?"

"Gloria, that's like the fifteenth time you've asked since this morning..." Victor sighed, a hand moving up to the bandages wrapped around his head. "I don't even think I need these anymore. I actually feel fine."

Gloria still didn't look completely convinced, continuing to walk on Victor's left with a worried gaze. Luna comfortably resided in her trainer's backpack, her head shyly poking out as she stared at the other Kirlia skipping next to Victor.

"A-Are ya sure?"

Victor turned to his right, where Marnie was walking as she and her Morpeko gave him worried looks.

"Yeah? It doesn't even hurt when I touch it anymore. See?" Victor said as his hand pat the back of his head without even flinching. "You both really don't need to be worried."

"O-Of course I gotta worry! Y-Yer ma first friend outta Spikemuth! And yer also my rival! I can't have ma rival gone!" Marnie pouted, her two tufts of hair even pointing upward in emphasis.

"Cute..." Victor couldn't help but smile.

"Wh-Why are ye smilin'!? I'm serious!" Marnie scolded.

"Sorry, you're just cute when you pout." Victor nonchalantly said with a wave of his hand.

"C-Cute!?" Marnie's face flushed with red, and her pointy tufts of hair fluttered.

Gloria stared at Victor with dull eyes, trying to burn her gaze into his head as they walked.

As for Hop, he was seated ahead on a boulder with Sky perched on his head, both deadpanning as they watched the interaction from afar.

"Sometimes I wonder if he does stuff like this on purpose..." He mumbled, nonchalantly popping an Oran berry into his mouth before deciding to admire his surroundings.

The Stony Wilderness...

It's a large and vast area, like many other parts of Galar. But what makes this particular area unique are the large stone structures scattered around the landscape. Whether it was merely boulders halfway in the ground or large rock protrusions sticking out and leaning against each other, this landscape flourished with these moss-covered structures.

And it's actually speculated that all of these scattered stones are due to another thing that makes this area unique;

The Gollets.

Even from his boulder, Hop could see the small bi-pedal round pokemon in the distance, a few seeming to be pushing against rocks twice their size. These blue-ish clay pokemon seemed to have made the Stony Wilderness their main habitat, and for some reason, it had to do with the area's boulders. It's not uncommon to see a few Gollets trying to move a boulder of any kind, even if it's twice its size and isn't able to actually move it.

Hop could only wonder why the Goletts in Galar acted like this as his three friends finally made it to him, which prompted him to stand up while sending Sky off him.

"About time you slowpokes caught up! I was getting bored!"

"Then don't just run ahead, ya damn bloke!" Gloria snapped with her arms up, still sour about Victor's words to Marnie.

"Can't blame me for you guys being slow!" Hop declared as he jumped off from the rock.

"Aye can 100% blame ya since ya always rush ahead!"

"Ah, they're fightin'..." Marnie sweatdropped as she watched the two go back and forth. She then turned her head to Victor, wondering if he'd stop them, only to see him just... staring.

"Whoa..."

The boy's eyes were glued to the landscape, eyeing the stones of the wilderness and watching the numerous pokemon graze through the grass and climb up trees. He can see new pokemon that he hasn't seen in person before, from the Goletts to the Baltoys. And the aftermath of the storm left everything just sparkling under the sunlight, adding more beauty to this serene image.

"I didn't get a chance to actually look at the area because it was so dark, but..."

He smiled.

"It's beautiful..."

Marnie found herself staring at Victor rather than the terrain, her eyes widening to see the boy practically glowing as he smiled with passionate eyes.

And the longer she stared at those eyes, the more she found her cheeks warm before it became too much that she had to turn away.

It felt so odd to her... Ever since she became friends with the group, she kept feeling so warm inside that, at times, it felt overwhelming. To feel both giddy yet embarrassed whenever she spent time with-

Wait, no.

This... feeling. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this around Hop or Gloria. Sure, she did feel overjoyed to be around them since she could call them friends, but this burning feeling in her chest was... different. And from what she can remember, it only really came whenever she was around...

Victor.

And as if his name triggered something, Marnie's eyes widened as she found their previous times together going through her mind.

'Weren't we already friends?'

'Of course not! There's no way I'd avoid someone like you, Marnie! You're an absolute treasure!'

'If you express yourself and everyone sees it, then they'll see how cute you are! And everyone loves cute things!'

'Sorry, you're just cute when you pout.'

And recalling all these memories caused the redness in her cheeks to spread throughout her face as she unconsciously hugged her Morpeko tighter in her arms.

"Mor?" The pokemon looked up at her trainer and noticed her in what almost seemed to be an almost catatonic state, completely lost in her own mind.

Victor... He was the first person she could call a close friend outside of Spikemuth. And even though Hop and Gloria became fast friends with her as well, Victor had gone beyond that. He trusted all of Team Yell and was even friends with them, friends with people that everyone else always thought negatively about. And even though it was a well-known rumor that Team Yell was why Spikemuth didn't have a power spot, Victor didn't believe that.

He was always so honest, especially whenever he praised her. And each time he did, this... warmth crawled through her, making her heart beat faster.

But...

She doesn't understand what it means.

"So, what's your plan now, Marnie?"

"E-EH!?" She released an adorable squeak before abruptly turning to Victor, the sudden action causing her Morpeko to suddenly get a throb of pain in her head by how her head jerked from the turn. "Wh-What!?"

Victor had his hands on his hips with a curious tilt of his head, his smile suddenly turning into a look of surprise the moment Marnie's face was in full view.

"Whoa, your face is red. And I mean Magikarp red! You okay?"

Now self-conscious about the color of her face, Marnie raised Morpeko right in front of her head to desperately hide.

"I-I-I'm gud!'"

Morpeko had a rather confused look on her face as she tried to turn her body around to look at her trainer, but Marnie kept her faced away, so she settled for looking at Victor and giving him a suspicious look as if saying, 'What did you do?'

Victor merely shrugged.

"Is this still from calling her cute?" It seemed like the most viable assumption for him, and he almost wanted to keep teasing the timid girl, but that wouldn't be nice. Plus, Morpeko would probably electrify him.

So he backed off a bit before glancing over at his other two friends, only to see Gloria stomping on Hop repeatedly on the ground.

"Oh god, Hop, what'd you say this time!?" Victor called out.

"Ack! Guh-! Why do you immediately assume it was my fault!?" Hop looked genuinely offended on the ground.

"Because ye always the one sayin' dumb shit that pisses me off!" Gloria snapped, finishing off Hop with one last stomp on his back.

"GAH!"

"Gloria, don't do that. You'll get his clothes drenched and dirty." Victor sighed as he walked over.

"That's why she shouldn't do it!?" Hop yelled as he rose his head with a baffled expression. He then turned his head away as he posed on the ground in an exaggerating, hurt fashion, complete with crocodile tears. "*sniff* Man, sometimes it feels like I'm not loved at all..."

"Oh, come on, Hop. You know I'd jump in the way of a Hyper Beam for you." Victor smiled as he bent over and offered him his hand.

"That actually kinda scares me because I know you would." Hop deadpanned right back at him, remembering the fact that this is the same person who ran into the middle of a thunderstorm.

He accepted the offered hand, and Victor pulled him up, the two then smiling before Hop clapped his hands together.

"Are you excited? We're in the Northern Wild Area now! We're already halfway done with our challenge!"

"No, we ain't ya dumb-arse! We still only got three badges! There's eight a' them, remember!? We need four ta' be halfway done!" Gloria pointed out.

Hop's excitement dropped from his realization.

"Oh, right."

Before it returned.

"That just means a longer adventure! Woo-hoo!" He shouted with his hands up.

"N-Not exactly... W-We got a' month before th' Galar League starts, so we still gotta make sure to finish the Gym Challenge before then."

Hop lowered his arms and slumped with his head down.

"Ah, pants..." He grumbled.

"S-Sorry..." Marnie mumbled, feeling guilty for crushing his excitement.

"No, no, not your fault. In fact, thanks for reminding me of the time limit. Besides, a month is still a hell of a long time to get stronger." Hop waved it off with a smile.

"That it is, Hop. And I already know how I'm gonna start using my time." Victor smiled, already planning it in his head.

"E-Eh? Ya already got somethin' in mind tae do?" Gloria piped up nervously.

He turned to her with a determined grin.

"You bet! I'm gonna head all the way to the Lake Of Outrage!"

"Oooo! Really!? Hop was the first to exclaim.

"All the way there on foot?" Marnie muttered in awe.

"Yup!" Victor pointed a thumb at himself. "I went there together with Nessa before I took on her gym!"

Gloria's eyes darkened in realization.

"So that's how da two a' ya got so close?" She asked dryly.

Victor blinked with a perplexed look. "Oh yeah, I never did tell you guys how we became friends, did I?"

Hop and Marnie shook their heads while Gloria just stared.

"Well, there's not really much to say. Nessa was down in the dumps about something and had closed down her gym before we found each other at the Hulbury lighthouse. We talked a bit since Sonia had apparently told her a bit about me, but then a camera crew she works with came to take her on a modeling job at the lake. I was invited to come as well since those guys wanted pictures and an interview on a boat."

Hop put his hands on the back of his head, smiling. "Yeah, being endorsed by the champion brings that kind of attention."

Victor nodded. "But anyway, at the lake, Nessa did her modeling thing while I answered questions to her crew, but afterward was when it got fun! We had a cool water battle which may or may not have involved me receiving a few Hydro Pumps-"

"Oof." Hop chuckled.

"- but then we got on the boat and started talking about what was bothering her."

"What was it?" Marnie asked curiously.

Victor scratched his cheek with an apologetic smile. "Er, I don't think I can say-"

"Say it."

He then realized that Gloria was really close to him, and with that shadowed glare right up in his face, clearly needing to know more.

But he didn't falter by her look. He merely turned back to Marnie while a hand pat Gloria's head to hopefully calm her, and judging by the small blush that formed, it was working a bit.

"Sorry, but I don't want to be inconsiderate of her in the case she doesn't want anyone knowing of her moment of weakness. But just know that she had trouble deciding something, so I helped her make the choice that she wanted. After that, she and I enjoyed each others' company for a bit until she actually wanted to battle, so we went back and did so. That's about it."

"Really?" Gloria immediately doubted, still glaring at Victor despite his hand gently rubbing her head.

"Really." Victor reassured. "I guess she really took my help to heart. I mean, if I hadn't come by, she probably would've still been depressed."

"Heh, you're like a hero who had to complete a side quest to keep going on the main quest." Hop giggled.

"Wow..."

Marnie's eyes sparkled in awe.

"Ya really are amazin', Victor!"

Victor stopped petting Gloria and turned to Marnie.

"I really didn't do too much; I just asked and listened to her."

"Well, Nessa thinks differently based on how happy she's been recently." Hop chuckled. "So, how was the Lake Of Outrage?"

Victor suddenly became five times brighter than usual, his bubbly excitement practically blinding the group.

"The lake was gorgeous! And I mean ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous! It was huge and so sparkly, and it was so clear underwater! The pokemon there were all super nice, and Nessa just seemed so natural with them! The water felt so cool, and it was exhilarating swimming around freely! The area outside the lake looked amazing, too, just like the rest of Galar! I wanted to explore it so much but couldn't at the time! So that's why I'm gonna get back there!"

"Not to mention I'll get to see Ariel again!" He thought to himself.

Hop rubbed his eyes as everyone regained their vision, no one bothering to acknowledge how much Victor had been shining a moment ago.

"Cool, but isn't the Lake Of Outrage all the way at the other corner of the Northern Wild Area from where we are? What's the plan for getting there?" He asked.

To that question, Victor pulled out his Rotom Phone and pulled up a map of Galar, to which he traced a path before facing the phone to his friends with his finger pointing the line he drew.

"I'm planning to go through the Dusty Bowl and then the Giant's Cap!"

That brought shock among the rest of the trainers.

"Eh!? So you're gonna go through a desert and then through cliffs!?" Hop exclaimed in surprise.

"That's suicide!" Gloria shouted, clear worry reflecting off her eyes.

"Actually, it's not as bad as you guys think." Victor started explaining calmly. "The Dusty Bowl may be a desert, but it really isn't that large. It's only really in Galar because of all the higher elevated areas surrounding it, or at least that's part of it. But any normal person can usually travel right through the Dusty Bowl in only two or three days, tops."

"Assumin' ya don't get lost!"

"There is absolutely no way I'm gonna get lost. I'm not Leon." Victor deadpanned, making Hop snort. "Besides, even if I do miraculously get lost, my Rotom Phone, compass, and the landmarks of the Dusty Bowl being near one another will help me find my way easily. Despite the area being a desert, there are a lot of tall rock formations, so it's usually obvious where to go."

"But the heat and sandstorms!"

"Gloria, I just need to wear loose long-sleeve clothing that also covers my head and mouth. And I have enough water to make it through hydrated, and then I'll just find more in a lake just outside of the desert. Besides, worst-case scenario, I can just call a flying taxi! They'll come, even if I'm stuck in the middle of a sandstorm!"

"Those Corviknights go through sandstorms but not thunderstorms?" Hop raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, thunderstorms have lightning. That's what they're afraid of. But sandstorms don't affect Steel-types, remember?"

"Ah. Type matchups..."

"Actually, that's the weather condition category."

Gloria seemed to have calmed down for the most part, but she still clearly looked unsure about the path Victor was gonna take.

"L-Let me come with you!" She declared.

"Sorry, no can do."

"ACK!" Gloria looked like she just took a punch in the gut before falling over, crushed by the immediate rejection.

"Damn, Victor. No mercy." Hop chuckled.

"S-Sorry!" Victor stammered in some guilt. "Although I'd love to have you guys with me, I really wanna go at my own pace."

"I-I can keep up! I know it!" Gloria sat up, looking determined.

Victor crouched down and grabbed Gloria by the shoulders, making the girl yelp as he looked her straight in her eyes with a firm stare.

"I know you can, Gloria. But the whole point of trainers traveling alone is to find their own ways to get their pokemon stronger. And I mentioned this before, but I'm sure we all have different ideas of what kinda journey we wanna go on. You, me, Hop, all three of us have always had different ways of doing things, even when we were kids. And it should stay that way, especially when involving our pokemon. We want our pokemon to get stronger, and we should do that with whatever methods we know best as their trainers. Okay?"

"Not to mention I have to train MYSELF too..."

"Wow, well said Victor." Hop grinned proudly. "You're right in that we do things differently. Because my plan is to get out of the Stony Wilderness and head through the Giant's Mirror to get to the Hammerlocke Hills!"

"See?" Victor smiled.

Gloria pouted but didn't refute anything he said, merely grumbling as Victor helped pull her back to her feet.

"And I had thought about takin' a long way around the Stony Wilderness, avoidin' the Dusty Bowl and goin' tae the less elevated paths of the Giant's Cap..." She admitted.

"Then do so! Whatever you all do, I just know that you'll make it into the league!" Victor declared with full confidence.

"You know it!" Hop cheered with a fist up.

Gloria couldn't help but smile a bit.

Victor then turned to Marnie, who looked lonely being out of the conversation.

"What about you, Marnie?"

"Ah-Ahm..."

The girl looked down sheepishly.

"Ah don't-" She paused, thinking for a moment before looking back up at one of them specifically.

"Gloria... Could a' come with ya?"

"Eh?" Gloria and Hop uttered with surprised looks while Victor just tilted his head.


~{Rainbow Rocket- Colress's Laboratory}~

Despite the large size of the laboratory and all the equipment spread across the room, Colress was the only person that had the benefit of using any of it. This task he received, to investigate subject Victor, had given him quite the new surge of excitement that he hadn't felt for quite a while.

Even though the main priority in his studies is to discover just what made a pokemon strong and how to further increase its strength, he couldn't deny that Victor is a major scientific breakthrough that can forever change the relationship between humans and pokemon.

So, of course he was giving his effort in discovering all he could about the boy, and all of his hard work showed on his face. The bags under his eyes were proof of a sleepless night staring at bright screens and analyzing the sample that had been so graciously offered to him.

And one whole night was all the scientist had needed before he had gotten results.

"How intriguing..."

Colress grinned as he stared at the monitor in front of him, then glanced at another monitor beside the first that displayed a microscopic view of red blood cells.

They appeared to be like any other red blood cells on the surface, but the page of data Colress had on the first monitor said otherwise.

"Dynamax Energy is flowing through subject Victor's bloodstream, but not just that, it's actually reacting to his cells!"

He was seated at the desk and rapidly typing, his eyes blazing through the information on the screen while his Magnezone hovered behind him with tired eyes, having been watching over him since the previous night.

"From Professor Magnolia's research, we know that Dynamax energy actually comes in the form of Galar particles. And we know that these particles come from Wishing Stars, Power Spots, or Raid Dens, all of which contain high concentrations of them!"

Magnezone seemed to be half-listening.

"And when a pokemon is exposed to Dynamax energy, the energized particles rush through its body to expand and distort it, causing the pokemon to grow both larger and much more powerful!"

Their eyes were slowly closing.

"However, when a human is exposed to these energized particles, the most there can be is a shot of adrenaline due to the biological differences we and pokemon have!"

They were dozing off now, lightly snoring.

"But then there's subject Victor's case!" Colress excitedly rose a finger as his voice boomed, making Magnezone snap wide awake in shock. "It appears that his genetic structure has allowed his cells to absorb the Dynamax energy from the Galar Particles he's exposed to! And even though I only have his blood, it's not too much a stretch to say that his entire body could be absorbing this energy! But although his pokemon genetics allow him to take in Dynamax energy, his human side isn't allowing him to use this energy in the normal sense a pokemon would!"

That seemed to catch the attention of the now-awake Magnezone, the pokemon curiously tilting their body.

"Mag?"

"Subject Victor's human body physically cannot Dynamax, and so, all of this Dynamax energy can only keep accumulating each and every time he Dynamaxes any of his pokemon! Isn't it marvelous!?"

Magnezone made the best frown he could as their trainer turned around with a grin as if expecting them to miraculously agree.

But instead, they shook their head.

"Mag..."

"..."

Colress turned back to the monitor with a contemplative look, a finger on his chin.

"I see... I suppose I got too excited about figuring out the relation between subject Victor and Dynamax energy that I forgot to be concerned about just what'll occur to him if his body keeps storing this power..."

Magnezone let out a static noise akin to a sigh, seemingly relieved that Colress realized this.

The scientist's eyebrows furrowed as he stood up from his chair and started rabidly typing data on his armband keyboard, bringing up a projection of a human diagram.

"If my hypothesis is indeed correct, and of course it is, then continuously storing large amounts of energy at once without letting it leak out will cause subject Victor's body to strain itself and fill to the brim-"

As he spoke, the human diagram started filling with pink from the feet all the way to the head.

"-and if his body takes another dose of energy but won't be able to contain it anymore, then-"

The human diagram then blew up into several pieces.

"..."

"Oh, dear."

Magnezone's three eyes were practically bulging at this point.

Colress looked down in thought, tapping his chin as the diagram vanished.

"So if subject Victor doesn't find a way to somehow use or drain this energy from his body, then most likely he won't reach the Galar League in one piece."

He chuckled, turning around.

"Get it? Because he won't be-"

Magnezone was not amused, glaring at the scientist.

Colress coughed into his fist.

"Right..."

He then determinedly brought a finger into the air.

"I must inform subject Victor of this development at once!"

...

...

"Dear me, I never did obtain any method of contacting him from a distance, did I?"

Magnezone comedically fell to the ground.


~{Stony Wilderness- 2:10PM}~

Victor was already missing his friends.

Sure, he knows that he has to be alone to avoid getting them mixed up with Rainbow Rocket and so that he could train his superhuman abilities alone, but boy did it stink to leave them all behind once again.

Saying goodbye to his friends wasn't that hard, as it was more of an 'I'll see you later' sendoff. But even then, he made sure to give each of them a hug (earning quite the blushes from two of them) before they had all separated to their respective paths.

Well, besides Gloria and Marnie, who had left together.

Marnie never did elaborate as to why she had wanted to go with Gloria, but Victor assumed she had her reasons. It was pretty surprising that she had asked the Scottish girl if she could travel with her, and that said girl had said yes.

Victor could only hope they became closer friends so that their little close group of three would become four. Marnie was just too precious not to be friends with.

Well, for whatever reason Marnie wanted to go with Gloria, Victor had other things to focus on, like what was in front of him!

Here he was, standing atop one of the stones of the Stony Wilderness with the bright sun shining above him as he gazed at the landscape ahead with a fierce smile. The bandages around his head were now gone, as he had healed himself earlier, and he only thought about just what was up ahead. He could just barely make out the Dusty Bowl off in the distance, roughly a few days to make it if he were to just walk, and he couldn't help the excitement building up in him.

Tesla was still peacefully napping his backpack. Twilight was flying overhead. Both Ace and Midori were at opposite sides of the stone Victor stood on, gazing ahead with ready faces.

It had only been a few minutes since the group of friends had separated, but they were all already out of sight of each other. Hop had rushed towards the North-East of the Stony Wilderness while Gloria and Marnie went in a steady pace directly West, but not without the former occasionally glancing back at Victor as they left.

And so, he was finally alone. And this filled Victor with quite the rush of excitement, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Man, it feels like it's been months since I've last used my powers!"

"Kirl?" Midori glanced up at him questionably.

Victor looked down at him from the rock. "Well... yeah, I did use them yesterday to help restart the fire... and a moment ago to heal my head, but I meant more of actually letting loose with them!"

He bent his knees before leaping off the rock and landing on the ground with a powerful thud, kicking up some grass.

"We've all got a long way to go to get to our strongest!" He said as he stood up, rotating his shoulder. "Myself included! It's in my genes, just like you guys!"

"Boot..."

...

"Okay, it shouldn't be, and yet, here I am."

"Cor!"

Twilight came down from his high altitude and flapped in front of Victor, conveying something to him.

"Cor, Cor!"

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Oho? There's a group of pokemon practically trying to tear each other apart up ahead?"

Twilight nodded.

"Any people nearby?"

He shook his head, which prompted a smirk to form on Victor.

"Then no holding back."

He immediately crouched on one knee with his hands on the ground, a sprinter's position. Ace, already knowing what had to be done, was already stretching his legs, while Midori just hopped onto his trainer's backpack and slipped himself in beside Tesla.

"You guys ready?" Victor called out, yet keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"Boot."

"Cor!"

"Kirl!"

"Zzzzz..."

Hearing them all (for the most part) prepared, Victor inhaled.

"Agility."

He then became a blur as he dashed forward, his acceleration increasing as he blazed over the grass. The wind felt refreshing against his face, and he practically felt like he was skating by how he seemed to slide over the ground. It was a wonder how his emotionally-important beanie never seemed to fly off his head despite the speeds he went at.

Tesla and Midori comfortably rode in Victor's backpack while Ace and Twilight flew/ran right behind him.

It didn't take long before the group caught sight of what Twilight had reported.

In the middle of a clear field, he saw a bipedal pokemon swinging a large I-beam girder at a much larger gray pokemon with a horn. Both were visibly bruised and dirty, clearly fighting for a while.

"Gurdurr. Common abilities are Guts and Sheer Force. Rare ability is Iron Fist. Really dangerous to take a Physical Attack from because of his abilities, but it's weak to Special Attacks."

"Rhydon. Lightning Rod, Rock Head, and Reckless, the last one being the rare ability. Has the strength to punch holes through boulders with its horn. Very high attack and defense, but like Gurdurr, also very vulnerable to Special Attacks."

The Rhydon caught the Gurdurr's girder (writing this, I just got the pun) in his hands and roared in his opponent's face, to which the Gurdurr scowled as he tried to shove him off.

"Quill!"

Suddenly, razor-like winds whistled from above, forcing both pokemon to jump back to avoid getting hit as the attack slashed the ground they were just at.

"Air Cutter..."

Their attacker, an avian pokemon with grey and black color together with pink legs and talons, flew above the two with fierce eyes. It also seemed to have injuries, but lighter than the other two.

"Tranquill. Big Pecks, Super Luck, and Rivalry. Level of danger is moderate. Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Victor slid to a halt on the grass, immediately wishing he hadn't done so, as getting the green stains off his shoes was gonna be annoying.

But he couldn't focus on that right now. The three pokemon were now at a standstill after that last attack, each one waiting for the others to make a move so they could capitalize on it.

He brought his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, catching the attention of all three pokemon.

"Quill?" The Tranquill flapped in place and narrowed its eyes at the human.

"Oi! The three of you knock it off! You all looked like your gonna end up killing each other!" Victor shouted, dropping his backpack and walking up a slanted stone to a higher position.

He really hoped that maybe they'd at least take a moment to calm down, but Rhydons and Gurdurrs were naturally aggressive pokemon, with Tranquill not being that much better. So he was sadly not surprised when the Rhydon roared at him with his horn glowing white, and the Tranquill fiercely flapped its wings, both sending sharp winds and rocks at him.

Victor crouched down before leaping off the rock he was standing on, the attacks obliterating it into pieces.

"Twilight, handle the Tranquill!" He shouted as he flipped through the air.

"Cor!" The Corvisquire fiercely flapped his wings as he flew at the other Flying-type with a glowing back, which had the Tranquill fly higher and try to outmaneuver him.

In the meantime, Victor landed back on the grass with Ace and Midori immediately rushing to his side, while Tesla merely opened an eye from his backpack.

Victor stood up with a stern glare at the two angry-looking pokemon ahead of him.

"I got this, guys." He told his two pokemon beside him, who both nodded and backed up as Victor bent his knees and brought his fist back with a grin. "A good ol' hurricane should be enough."

He started it out as always. He visualized the attack and felt his body convert a small part of his stamina and life energy into power. What followed was air swirling around his fist, getting stronger by the second as he charged it up.

And with one last deep break, Victor swung his arm with plans to unleash one strong gust of wind to topple both pokemon in front of him.

But in the middle of it all, pink electricity sparked.

In the split seconds that followed, several things happened. Victor felt an unfamiliar warmth seep into his arm before starting to burn. His muscles bulged as his limb was coated by a transparent dark-pink hue, followed by another burst of pink electricity cracking violently around it. The entire right side of his shirt tore right off, and the swirling air around his fist intensified quadruple-fold.

The world seemed to move so slow as Victor's eyes slowly widened in the realization that something was wrong. His two pokemon beside him reacted similarly, eyes widening as the pink shade of light illuminated the area. And yet, none of them could stop what was already happening, as Victor's arm was already at its peak of motion.

What was unleashed was a large explosion of force that sent a giant horizontal tornado of wind carving through the land. Trees violently swayed, clouds were split, and pokemon around the area scurried or flew away in fear.

But both pokemon at the other end of the attack could only stare in shock before they were enveloped by the cyclone. And even afterward, the attack continued forward until it hit two large overlayed stone structures, where another explosion of force completely decimated the landmark.

Clouds of dirt covered the entire area, and torn grass and leaves fluttered in the air. The wind was already picking up to help clear the area and reveal the aftermath of what had occurred.

The sight revealed first was the Gurdurr and Rhydorn, who were both sprawled out on the ground a few yards from each other, unconscious. Next, a large trench dug through the ground straight, the earth torn right from the landscape.

The Tranquill was now flapping in place with a look of fear at the results, while Twilight ignored him entirely and cawed as he flew down into the remaining dust clouds to find his trainer.

The dense clouds at the start of the trench quickly dispersed by Twilight's rapid flapping, revealing a boy frozen in place, gaze unmoving from the area of destruction that he had just caused.

"H-Huh? Wh-What did I-? I-I didn't-"

"KIRL!"

Victor blinked several times and turned to his right to see Midori staring at him with a look of horror, hands over his mouth. Ace was next to him, sitting up and rubbing his head with a frown after having been launched by the attack. But that frown was gone with one look Victor, to which he cringed at what he saw.

"Huh?"

Victor didn't understand why they were looking at him like that until he finally registered a sharp pain in his arm, making him look down at it.

The limb was dangling lifelessly at his side, red and swollen with even a few trails of blood dripping down off his fingertips.

A lifeless gaze was locked on his appendage as he felt white, hot, fiery pain burn through it.

He couldn't stop his scream from coming out.


~{Author's Post-Notes}~

(Somewhere in Nevada... A Mimikyu watches from a safe distance as the previous red-dressed woman is seated on a loudspeaker while the blue-haired boy faces a... clown?)

Okay, got no idea how I got here with them, but I guess while they're doing their... 'thing' I could explain something here.

This chapter coming out doesn't mean that Galar's Secret Miracle is gonna just return at any steady pace, but I guess I could work on it whenever I find myself unable to work on my other fic, as that apparently tends to happen a lot. Although, don't count on too much occasional progress being committed to this even then, because it's not really as simple as 'oh, can't write one? I'll write the other!' Because there's the usual depression I got on the lines of 'what am I gonna do with my life?' and the usual stupid procrastination I face whenever I actually wanna write, so these chapters won't be coming out fast.

As always, they'll come out when they come out. But at least when they do, they'll be created from proper care and passion. In the end, me being satisfied isn't about pumping out as many chapters as I can, but about knowing that you guys heavily enjoy them.

So... Thanks for reading, as always! I hope you love the developments in this chapter!

(A pillar of red erupts from the red-haired clown as he turns into a giant red glowing head with equally large and glowing hands.)

I looked away for one second, what the FU-!?

-{Pikaboo73: February 5, 2022.}-